“This isn’t easy for me. None of this has been easy since your mother died. I loved her very much and I never even considered dating again. I thought having a nanny would help you have a close female that you can look up to Shanna. God knows that I’m never going to be able to be a mother to you. I don’t want to tell you that what Rachelle and I did was wrong because I don’t feel that it was. Even though she told me a hundred times she didn’t feel that it was right because of her position of employment.” Sheldon realized he was rambling and came to a stop. He actually felt himself blush when Shanna’s eyes turned his way, scrutinizing him in a manner that made him want to squirm. He realized in that moment just how much his daughter was like him in some ways. “I should have told you Shanna. I know that’s what you’re upset about. I just didn’t know how. I’ve said before that I can’t be a mother to you and as a father, I had no idea how to approach the subject. I still don’t. I’m not very good at even being a dad. I feel lost doing this by myself.”
Shanna blinked in surprise at Sheldon’s frank honesty. Her eyes lost some of their hostility and her lips quivered just a little. “You’re a good dad,” she said quietly. “I know you’re doing your best. Neither of us chose to lose mom and I know that we’re just getting through it the only way we know how.”
“That’s right baby,” Sheldon whispered. Shanna nudged a little closer to him on the log and he lifted an arm. It was an invitation she couldn’t turn down. She shifted into him, snuggling close and he wrapped his arm around her. “You scared the hell out of me, leaving like that.”
“But you knew where to find me. I knew you would know exactly where I had gone. And I wore a life jacket. Nothing could have happened.”
“That’s kind of beside the point. Things could have happened. It’s a job as a father to worry. What kind of dad would I be if I didn’t care about your safety?”
Shanna was quiet for a long moment and Sheldon said nothing more after his more than gentle reprimand. He had never been the yelling kind. Whatever he had to say was usually just as effective when quietly spoken.
“I don’t want to go back to boarding school dad. I want to stay at the house with you. I know that I’m old enough and I know I would be fine. Even if you have to work late. You could get me another nanny if you want to.”
Sheldon closed his eyes. He had always known the request would come one day, not to send her back to the school he paid so much money for every year. He knew he was using it as a crutch.
“We can find you another school if that’s what you want.”
Shanna looked up at him, eyes wide, as though she couldn’t believe he had capitulated so easily. “Thanks!”
“About the nanny though… you wouldn’t Rachelle to stay on after what happened?”
Shanna lowered her eyes. “I asked her once if she would ever consider dating you.”
“Shanna!”
“I know I shouldn’t have but I just did it casually. I saw how happy you were, how you were more like… like how you were before, with mom, when she was around. I could tell she kind of felt the same way since she was always looking at you when she thought no one else was watching. I saw you do that too and I figured that you guys might like each other.”
“So you asked her and she said no.”
“She did say no. I don’t know why she did because she obviously wanted to say yes.”
Sheldon sighed. He ran his free hand through his hair again, a gesture he knew he did when he was stressed and anxious. He barely managed to stop himself from saying that what was happening between himself and Rachelle were adult things. Shanna had already shut that right down.
“I don’t know what to say. Rachelle and I are attracted to each other but sometimes things are complicated and sometimes people… uh… want a physical connection and nothing else. Because they aren’t ready to be emotionally involved.”
“Are you talking about her or you?” Again, those dark, guileless eyes stared into his own, making Sheldon’s stomach clench tight.
“I don’t know honey. I’ll be honest with you. I’ve asked Rachelle if she would consider dating me after the summer is over and she’s been resistant to the idea.”
“But she was okay with sleeping with you.”
“Shanna. I really do feel that talking about Rachelle and I were doing is better saved for when you’re older. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea and sometimes it’s hard for younger people to understand these things when they haven’t experienced anything like it and won’t for a long time.”
Shanna nodded slowly. “I’m just angry that she lied to me. When she said she would never date you but you guys have been… well… doing this probably for a while without telling me.”
“It wasn’t really her fault. And she never said she would date me so I suppose she didn’t lie to you about that. It was wrong of us not to tell you. I’ll admit that and I’ll say that I’m sorry. I knew it wasn’t appropriate. I just… haven’t felt anything since your mother died and I suppose I got carried away.”
Shanna laid her warm, much smaller hand on Sheldon’s. “Dad, I want you to be happy. I think mom would have wanted you to find someone to be with. She wouldn’t have wanted you to be lonely and sad for the rest of your life. I’m okay with it being Rachelle if that’s what you want. I like seeing you smile again. I like that you whistle again and that you’re eyes glow.”
It was a long time before Sheldon could speak past the lump that had formed in his throat. He hugged Shanna tightly to him and she stayed there, soaking in his protective warmth.
“I think we should go back and talk to Rachelle. She was very worried and she probably feels like she’s entirely to blame.”
“I think that’s a good idea. I ran off without thinking. I was angry and I didn’t care how much she would worry at the time.”
Sheldon gave his daughter’s shoulders one final squeeze before he pulled her to standing. “I’ll take the boat and you take the Jet Ski. Let’s see who can make it back home the fastest.”
Chapter 18
Rachelle let out a sigh of relief when she saw Sheldon and Shanna walking up the path. Shanna was a couple strides ahead and they were laughing and talking as though nothing had ever happened.
Forcing herself to put on a blank face, Rachelle tried to swallow the worry that stormed the pit of her stomach. She needed to talk to Sheldon but she also needed to apologize to Shanna for betraying her trust. What a mess everything was turning out to be. She should never, ever, have given in to her body’s demands, even if they were also the demands of her heart.
Sheldon pushed open the door and Shanna rushed inside. Rachelle stood, expecting an angry confrontation to ensue. She never expected the blur that was Shanna running, hurtling herself into her arms.
“I’m sorry Rachelle,” Shanna said, dark eyes wide. “I shouldn’t have run off and scared you like that.”
Rachelle smiled gently and stroked the girl’s hair, utterly relieved that there was not going to be an angry showdown after all. “I’m sorry too,” she whispered. She didn’t know what else to say and it seemed to be enough. She glanced at Sheldon over Shanna’s bent head and could tell by the look on his face that he had already talked to his daughter.
Where did that leave them? And how could she ask to speak to him privately about the other matter that was consuming her thoughts?
Rachelle didn’t get a chance to speak with Sheldon until late that night. The three of them stayed up after dinner, laughing and talking and playing board games. Shanna just seemed to accept the fact that Sheldon and Rachelle were in some kind of undefined relationship. Rachelle didn’t know how Sheldon had explained to Shanna or what he had said and that made her feel edgy and out of sorts but she managed to hide her anxiety well.
Sheldon entered the living room after checking that Shanna was asleep. He perched on the edge of the couch beside Rachelle but he didn’t touch her. She knew that he expected to talk to her about what had happened that morning. He w
asn’t expecting the way she was going to blindside him.
“I want to tell you, first of all, that Shanna is fine with the idea of us seeing each other. She was just angry about us not telling her sooner.”
“I expected that.”
Sheldon turned, his dark eyes meeting and holding her gaze. They were so intense, burning with unspoken emotion. Rachelle’s heart called out to his but she remained silent, waiting, as Sheldon obviously had something he wanted to say.
“I want to ask you Rachelle, if you’ll please consider dating me. Not only that but I want you to stay on as Shanna’s nanny. She’s decided she doesn’t want to go back to boarding school in the fall. I’ll find her a school in the city but she’ll be home and I can’t always be there. I would trust few other people to love her and care for her like you do. I know you two have a special connection.”
“But it will be complicated now that she knows…”
“Will it?” Sheldon’s brow lifted. “I don’t think so. Look how easy it was tonight. She’s already used to the idea. She loves you, Rachelle, and she said that she likes seeing me happy again. Shanna has always been an incredibly easy going child and also very smart. She has an intelligence that goes far beyond the mind. She’s very emotionally sensitive. Even before her mother died, she was a sweet, tender girl. She’s more attuned to my emotions than I ever thought possible.”
“Probably my own as well.”
“Likely. I don’t think that you would have to worry about her if you stayed. She wants you to stay.”
“Does she?”
“I have no doubt.”
Rachelle silently gripped her hands together in her lap. She knew Sheldon was looking at her, expecting an answer. Finally she raised her eyes and held his gaze. “Sheldon, I have something to tell you. I don’t know how to do it so I’ll just say it…” Sheldon waited expectantly but his eyes clouded over with as much as anxiety as Rachelle felt. She could tell he was bracing for bad news. “I’m late… Sheldon… the days I’ve been sick… I think I’m pregnant.”
She’d stunned him. Sheldon’s face went completely white and totally blank. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking and that made her the most worried. She waited, hardly daring to breathe.
“Well then,” Sheldon finally whispered, exhaling in a long rush. “I think if that’s true than you better let me convince you to stay.”
Rachelle’s eyes teared up irrationally. She had expected anger and blame from him but she should have known better. Sheldon might have tried to remain closed off from her at first, as she did to him but he had never once acted in such a way.
“What if it doesn’t work out?” Rachelle’s voice gave her own doubts and fears away. “We hardly know each other. We never planned on this. I can’t imagine what Shanna would think or say…”
Sheldon reached out and took Rachelle’s shaking hands into his own warm, steady ones. His face was filled with tenderness when she was finally able to look at him again.
“Do you love me Rachelle? I know we haven’t known each other for long, but do you think we could love each other as time goes on? Do you enjoy my company? Do you want to be a part of our family? If you do want those things, or believe we could make it, even just for a second, than I know we could build from there. We could try, each day, to grow more in love. To get to know each other properly. To include Shanna in that love. To build a family and be a family. I’m open to it if you are.”
Rachelle’s heart leapt in her chest. This was more than she ever could have hoped for. That morning she had thought it was all over. Her budding love for Sheldon. The love she felt for Shanna. She thought she had ruined everything and somehow everything had worked out. It did give her hope. A crazy, irrational hope, but hope all the same.
“Yes,” Rachelle whispered. “Yes, Sheldon, I feel all those things. If I am going to have a baby then there is nothing more on earth that I want. I want us to be a family. To love and care for each other. To raise Shanna and that baby in all the love in the world. I love you Sheldon. It might not mean much now but one day I want that love to grow and be deep and true.”
The love shining in Sheldon’s eyes was unmistakable. He gave Rachelle’s hands a reassuring squeeze. He bent his head until it was an inch from her own. When he spoke his breath tickled her cheek. “I love you Rachelle. I want the same things. I never planned on finding someone again or having this happen but now that it has I am so damn thankful.” He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her sweetly with just a hint of the passions he knew he was capable of.
Rachelle closed her eyes and leaned into him. She breathed in the deep, manly scent of his skin at the nape of his neck, the faintest hint of cologne still lingering from where he’d applied it that morning. She couldn’t imagine herself being lucky enough to find not just a man who loved her but a family as well.
Sheldon wrapped Rachelle in his arms, holding her, soothing her, his strong hand on her back.
“So you’ll stay then?” His eyes, when he looked at her, held all the hope and promise in the world.
“Yes,” Rachelle breathed, a smile already illuminating her face. “Yes Sheldon, I’ll stay.”
The End
Pathological Therapy (Sample Only)
By
Brittany Dreams
Introduction
Peter has a history with babysitters. They can’t resist his wealth and charm. But, as soon as he has seduced them, they need to find a new job; he is not after a long term relationship. This is true in so many aspects of his life.
A chance introduction brings him a new babysitter, but for the first time he finds his charm is not enough. Celine isn’t after his money, or even his body. Despite his initial surprise it works out well for him; a full time nanny allows him to act like he has no responsibilities.
The consequences are almost inevitable; Peter must suddenly face the fact that he wasn’t there for his only son. Celine was, she saved his life and opened Peter’s eyes.
Suddenly, his life is put into perspective, he sees Celine for what she really is; but the path to true love never runs smoothly...
Chapter 1
“Fine! If that’s the way you feel then don’t bother coming in tonight!” Peter’s voice raised at least an octave as he spoke. “I won’t, in fact I will never come in again!” The woman’s voice was slightly distorted; Peter could hear the distress and refused to react to it. Before the tears could start he slid the bar across his cell phone, instantly disconnecting her call. He shouldn’t have been surprised, everyone had warned him against sleeping with the help. It wasn’t that it was a cliché; it was simply that good help was hard to find.
He sighed as he counted to ten under his breath, allowing his breathing to return to normal. Vanessa had been good at looking after his son Edward. She had been at the house on many occasions over the last few years. To be entirely honest, he hadn’t really paid much attention to her until his friend Nick had been over and expressed an interest in her. Suddenly, Peter had found himself craving Vanessa. It had taken less than twenty-four hours to convince her that sleeping with the boss was a good idea. In truth, it had been a very good idea; but only for a week.
Peter moved across the kitchen and down the long passageway to his study. He ran the back of his hand against the rich mahogany walls. Some said his sixteen-bedroom mansion was dated, but he liked the odd, ecliptic feel of the place. The heavy oak door to his study opened smoothly with the lightest of touches. For a moment Peter surveyed the room. Two of the walls were covered with floor to ceiling bookcases. Every book on the shelves was leather bound and handpicked. Peter paused; his desk glistened, an old-fashioned lamp sat on the top of an antique table. He could smell the leather in his office. He glanced at his new addition, a red leather chair. It was made of the finest Italian leather; its very presence warmed the room. There was no doubt that this was his favorite room of the house.
He slowly walked across the thick carpet, his sock covered feet pra
ctically disappearing. All thoughts of Vanessa had vanished. Peter tapped twice on the top drawer of his desk. Immediately, a small section of the desk peeled away. Slipping his hand into the hole he pulled out a small black book. Smiling to himself, he lowered himself gently into his swivel chair. It was more like an armchair than a desk chair and was incredibly comfortable. Peter enjoyed the familiar creaking of the leather as his six foot one inch frame settled in.
The black book held a collection of phone numbers which would instantly provide him with access to some of the hottest women in town. Most of the names had been collected from years of work. Although to be fair, it was much easier to get names and numbers now that he rolled up everywhere in a Ferrari. His finger ran down the list of names until he saw the one he was looking for. A moment later he had finished dialing the number. “Hey Stacey!” His voice was cheerful and relaxed; his mind was thinking of the pink bra she had worn the first time they had met. It had taken him just twenty minutes to get a proper look at it, and another ten to get it on the floor of his vehicle. “Hi Peter,” Stacey sighed as she recognized his voice. “I can’t help you,” she said softly. “I would love to, but I’m with Harry now.” Peter chuckled, “I wasn’t after that,” although the thought of her lithe body in his arms was appealing.
He explained that he no longer had a nanny for Edward, his eight year old son. The biggest part of the problem was the fact he was due to go out in just under two hours. It was business; there was no way he could miss the meeting. Fortunately, Stacey took pity on him and promised to be there within the hour. In addition, she said she would check who was available in her books and let him know. Peter thanked her, grateful that she ran a recruiting agency and that they had parted on such good terms.
For several moments he sat in his study, indulging in his man cave, surrounded by his favorite books. He was a self-made billionaire and knew how to get what he wanted. The fact that his sandy brown hair swooped gracefully across his head and framed his deep green eyes helped. But he knew that his money alone could attract almost any woman he wanted. Reluctantly he pushed himself out of his chair and headed for the master suite. It was time to have a shower and get himself ready for his meeting.
Touch Of Heaven: Billionaire Daddy Romance Page 8
